Helping the homeless: Beddown’s Norm McGillivray

Norm McGillivray knows all too well how devastating homelessness can be – and not just for the people on the streets, but their loved ones, too. He grew up in England, where his father, a carpenter, ran a shopfitting business.

“He suffered a stroke in his early 30s,” Norm says. “My mum was a bit younger than my father, and she was bringing up a small child, which was me. My dad was heavily disabled and that put a lot of stress and strain on the relationship. They separated, got divorced, and my dad found himself sleeping rough on the streets of London.

“At the age of 42, he suffered a heart attack, which ended his life. He died lonely and homeless. I was 11 years old at the time and powerless to do anything about it.”

Forty years on, Norm can’t bring his dad back. But he can help the latest generation of homeless people. And he is doing just that, through his charity, Beddown.

Beddown takes spaces that are vacant at night and turns them into pop-up accommodation for people who are sleeping rough. Having teamed up with Secure Parking, the charity has been running trials in Brisbane car parks for the past two years. There are also plans to use empty dorms in backpacker hostels. And the program offers much more than just beds.

“A big part of the model is that we collaborate with other service providers,” Norm says. “We’ll bring in doctors, dentists, social workers, counsellors, new clothing, hairdressers, food and beverages, and a whole raft of other services to restore dignity, respect, self-esteem and confidence back to our guests, and also then try to link them into longer-term solutions such as education, training, employment, accommodation or rehabilitation.”

Helping to change and save lives

Norm came up with the idea for Beddown after being made redundant from his job in a not-for-profit organisation.

“After applying for a lot of jobs, and getting lots of ‘Dear Norms’, I started to think maybe it’s time for me to start my own not-for-profit, charitable organisation,” he says. “Homelessness was close to my heart because of my dad, and I started doing some research into the state of affairs here in Australia.

“Over 8,200 people across Australia every night will sleep on concrete, on benches, in parks and under bridges, and of that number, hundreds of people lose their lives every year as a result of sleeping rough.

Witnessing the transformation in people after just one night is remarkable, Norm says. Beyond that, seeing someone get a job and get their life back on track is immensely satisfying, not just for him, but for all the members of what he calls “our amazing volunteer family”.

Norm calls it the “ultimate job satisfaction”. And he feels someone else has been there to share it with him. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt as close to my dad as I have over the last three years on this journey,” Norm says. “He’s been there by my side, certainly.”